~ The "Wild About Animals Radio Show" is the REAL stock and bond market. Texas veterinarian Dr Bruce provides and promotes horse sense not nonsense when it comes to events, policies, products, procedures and opportunities affecting animals and the people who care for them. Co-host Emmi provides questions and commentary from the heart of a passionate and compassionate animal owner.

A few weeks ago I did a program with a very good friend and fantastic humorist and colleague Dr Bo Brock in which we discussed the suicide of Robin Williams and the alarming rate of suicide of veterinary professionals relative to that in the general population. This past month, my colleague Dr Patty Khuly authored an article in a publication I received discussing the same topic, and while the holiday season brings fun and joy to many, it also brings heightened stress, depression, and anxiety to others. In one of her final paragraphs, Dr Khuly opines, ” …we should worry more about ensuring that all our colleagues have a nurturing, supportive, and judgment-free profession to work in.”

Profound words of wisdom, especially the final half-dozen words. In a profession where each and every day we as veterinarians are immersed in the beauty of nature, the scent of puppy breath, the elegance of the equine and the wisdom and perseverance of the senior pet, is it this external judgment that creates the vision of hopelessness rather than the appreciation of the environment and opportunities we are blessed to experience? Judgement from colleagues, teachers, employers, owners, family members, spouses and possibly most significantly from ourselves? Without rules, guidelines and standards, any profession would risk becoming a free for all centered on self-interest, losing, eventually, the purpose of service through one’s extensive education and experience which should be the motivation and the character of the profession. That said, I would suggest that the peace of mind so vital to staving off the vulture of depression can be achieved by being true to oneself, over and beyond the pleasing of others, yet with an attitude of service to others and reverence for the standards and rules within which one is expected to perform. This can present a true challenge for those in the service professions in that there can be conflicting thoughts and applications of theories, and the building of one’s clientele, the business to provide for oneself and family, is dependent on “the satisfied client or customer”. But what is the gain to gain the wealth of the world yet lose one’s own self and values? (Someone much wiser and more famous than I has previously pontificated this). While it is established human nature, and I would contend healthy, and debatably even Biblical, to strive for more, to continue to work to get better, to enhance our value and grow our wealth, WHEN WE FAIL TO BE STILL FOR JUST A MOMENT AND BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT WE HAVE, our focus and perspective are blurred to the point of self compromise either physically, spiritually, emotionally, socially or some combination of these. Our perception of an outcome or influence of events, actions, or situations based upon external expectations can limit us in accepting the actuality of the situation and seeking resolution acceptable to our self, alone, without thought for the judgement of others.

Life is a competitive situation. You are not going to win every game, every argument, every job, every bid, every case, and eventually every ailment, disease or malady. BE GRATEFUL you have the opportunity to compete. BE GRATEFUL you have the ability to grow and learn from the situation, not only about the situation, more importantly about your SELF!

I’ve read several commentaries from frustrated veterinarians, have experienced the feeling myself, frustrated with owners who elect euthanasia over treatment, abandonment over responsibility. I’ve learned to step back and be grateful for the owners who make the choice to be responsible and who allow me to pursue treatment. Rather than fret and stress over the person and animal NOT in the exam room, focus on those that are. Rather than stress over the equipment I don’t have, be grateful for that which I DO have. I look at my business management and ask MYSELF if I am doing everything I can to make treatment options as available and affordable as possible. Frankly, I became involved in a networking business because it provided an extremely simple way to allow people to earn more money if they wanted to be able to afford to care for their animals (drbruce.vemma.com- drink your product, get two other people to do the same, repeat, get paid on everything that everyone else drinks, How simple is that?). Am I the only one that walks into a hospital that looks like a 5 star luxury resort and question THAT as why healthcare costs are where they are? ( I digress) But that was someone’s choice, not mine. I can only control my thoughts, my feelings, and my choices. As can you. And when I accept that reality, I CAN do my part in creating a nurturing, supportive, and judgement-free world in which to live and work.

There is not a day I awake that I am not thankful for my health, the ability and opportunity to work in the service of my fellow-man and animal, and for living in what is still the greatest country in the world. What do you have that you are most thankful for this season and what advice do you have for listeners who may be seeing the cloud rather than the silver lining this time of year? Happy holidays, and THANKS for stopping by!

I’m three weeks behind on writing this post because it is hard to get started sharing my thoughts on depression and suicide, especially when my guest for the show , Dr Bo Brock, is such an upbeat, hilarious sharer of stories and wisdom. But then again, that’s why I had him on this show to discuss the apparent suicide of the comedic and entertainment legend, Robin Williams. Who would have thought a person who brought joy to so many in so many ways would choose to end his existence here on planet Earth? Why the heck does a show about animals and health care take on the topics of depression and suicide? Would you believe because the suicide rate in veterinary professionals is over four times greater than that of the general population and over twice that of other medical professionals? So … while many take a look at why apparently brilliant and successful people suffer through depression and may reach a point of self-termination, I wanted to talk to Dr Brock, and expound here, about what keeps people facing similar situations, turmoil, joys, problems and triumphs alive and out of the grips of depression.

This past week, I received a call physically threatening me from a person who our office had sent to a collection agency to attempt to collect a past due account. Now granted, it’s only about 2 years past due, I have seen this person out partying and going to enjoy their hobbies and had asked them to set up a payment plan, I think in general been pretty patient in pursuing compensation for services I had performed at their request. A night or two later, I get a call at about 9:30 pm, Friday night as a matter of fact, from someone needing a test result in order to take a horse to a sale, at 5:30 AM Saturday morning. I had done the labwork 3 weeks prior, but only at the last minute they are able to discover they don’t have it! Add on to that the pharmacy I use to compound some no longer available medicines was unable to get made some medicine for a horse with a nasty, nasty abscessed salivary gland, and perhaps you begin to think you see why veterinarians turn to drugs, alcohol and perhaps even suicide to remove themselves from their situations. Each of the above scenarios is representative of reasons given for veterinary depression and suicide – unappreciative owners and inadequate compensation (especially now coupled with a graduate debt load well into the six figure range), long hours, late nights and interrupted plans, “compassion fatigue”, and then add in readily accessible narcotics and products used to end the lives of our patients on a regular basis and the picture is painted as to how the veterinarian can justify his misery. But why don’t other professions who work long hours, lose cases or clients or patients, or those who work in shelters or butcher shops match the rate of veterinary suicide? And an even bigger question, how do so many AVOID these exit doors and actually ENJOY their work? Here’s what’s worked for me and what I see in others who choose to lead a Great Life!

One of the first things my first employer told me was, “Don’t let practicing veterinary medicine get in the way of helping people and their animals”. WOW! The wisdom in those words have followed me forever! Veterinary colleges, aka “Ivory Towers”, have resources beyond what probably 90 % of private practices ever accumulate and they want to set a standard of care and level of expertise that I would guestimate 80-90% of the public we serve will never need, and an even greater percentage can never afford. After spending four years in the Ivory Tower and seeing some of the miraculous testing, learning, and saving lives that does go on in the hallowed halls, it is challenging to deal with not being able to provide every patient the tee-top diagnostic evaluation and treatment protocol you have been trained to provide. Frustration can set in over not being able to fulfill your own expectations due to someone else’s limitations, not your own. The solution… BE GRATEFUL. Be grateful for every owner and patient that walks through the door each and every day and do your damndest to help them within whatever constraints are placed. REALIZE – the letters behind the name are DVM, not GOD. Realize none of us are perfect, including owners and clients, and in reality, there are human patients and animal patients that lose battles every minute of every day under the care of remarkable people in remarkable places. Realize that you can do good in any situation if you so choose. There are certainly situations where the good is excruciatingly difficult to see, or may not be readily apparent. Yet time is an illusion which once we realize is bounded by only our mental limits becomes insignificant and the good can be seen whenever it is revealed. Ignore the EXPECTATIONS of everyone other than yourself and the owner and patient you are trying to help. What Dr Professorman or Dr Colleague thinks doesn’t matter to the owner and patient asking for YOUR help. Now some of their experience and teachings may be invaluable in helping you solve the problem in front of you, just like a parent’s advice may help you deal with a situation in life, but don’t let them be your judge and jury. Set your own expectations and standards and live YOUR life and run YOUR business in accordance with YOUR values and priorities. You will be compensated accordingly. But what about the guy who threatened me after I did the work and he doesn’t want to pay? I have the satisfaction of knowing I did what I was employed to do, to a level I was satisfied with. I learned never to do business with the sorry SOB again, and he has to live with the collection agency on his phone, or the judicial system, if it comes to that. If he was raised to be a person of any character at all, he lives with the guilt of not paying his debt. If enough people were to choose this path of not paying, yes, I would need to reconsider how to make my living. But I don’t attach myself or my identity or deprecate myself in any way because he chooses to not meet his obligation. I ACCEPT what is. That doesn’t mean I have to be complacent with what is, but we must ACCEPT what is before taking action to bring about change, if necessary. Who would be served by me throwing a fit or beating myself up about medicine I wanted not being available when I want it? Once I accept that it is not ready on MY schedule, I can choose to wait, call another pharmacy, or try another treatment. Other options exist, almost invariably and without exception. We can become upset with ourselves or with others, but only after we accept the current situation can we institute change to address the problem.

Finally, BE TRUTHFUL. Have you ever heard, “The TRUTH shall set you free.”? It’s remarkable the TRUTH in that! Be truthful with your clients, your staff, and most importantly YOURSELF! It would be simple here to say be honest with yourself about your limitations, but the real truth you have to have with yourself is in regard to your potential and capabilities. You can likely solve a whole lot more problems for people by simply THINKING, getting back to fundamentals, and focusing on what you CAN do rather than what you can’t do. Belief in yourself will come with trust in yourself, and trust only can develop through consistent revelation of truth with self. Peace of mind can then exist and allow for free flow of ideas and energy to the benefit of all.

So, there you have it! Being Grateful, Realizing none of us are perfect (and U are one of US!), set your own Expectations, Accept what is (but don’t be complacent!), and be Truthful, with self and others. THAT can make for a GREAT life! Dr Brock shares stories in his book, Crowded in the Middle of Nowhere, which will make you smile, laugh, maybe even shed a tear. He has figured out how to take what he does seriously, but not take himself so seriously. It has led him to a GREAT and admirable life and career and I invite you to visit the Wildaboutanimalsradioshow. Com website and use the link “Bo’s Book” to order a copy. They will also make great gifts. Another book which has helped me deal with adversity is Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. I listen to the audiobook repeatedly and learn more each time. NaNu NaNu! Thanks for stopping by. Peace. BE GREAT!!